DEMOCRATIC SCHOOL MANAGEMENT AND THE BNCC: CHALLENGES IN RECONCILING NATIONAL EDUCATION GUIDELINES AND TEACHERS' METHODOLOGICAL FREEDOM

Abstract

The implementation of the Brasilian National Common Curriculum Framework placed schools, administrators, and teachers before a concrete question: is it possible to meet national curricular guidelines without undermining the pedagogical autonomy of those who teach? This article takes that tension os its starting point to examine the role of democratic school management as a mediator between state regulation and teachers' methodological freedom. Drawing on qualitative, bibliographic, and documentary research, the study analyzes educational legislation and scholars who discuss curriculum, school management, and teacher education. The findings indicate that schools with established participatory cultures, consistent continuing education, and committed pedagogical leadership present stronger conditions for curricular implementation without sacrificing teacher agency. The study concludes that the BNCC holds genuine orientating potential, provided it is treated as a starting point rather than a closed script, and that its effectiveness depends less on the document itself and more on the institutional conditions through which it reaches schools.